Ms. Peterson's Social Studies Class - Home



Aircraft RadarThe entire technology of radar, which is the ability to use radio waves to detect objects at a distance, was barely invented at the start of the war but became highly developed in just a few years at sites like the “Radiation Laboratory” at MIT. By allowing people to “see” remotely, at very long distances, radar made the idea of “surprise attack” virtually obsolete and vastly enlarged the arena of modern warfare (today’s radars can see potential attackers from thousands of miles away). Radar allowed nations to track incoming air attacks, guided bombers to their targets, and directed anti-aircraft guns toward airplanes flying high above. Researchers not only constructed the radars, but also devised countermeasures: during their bombing raids, Allied bombers dropped thousands of tiny strips of tinfoil, code-named “window” and “chaff” to jam enemy radar.271272088074500By constructing complex pieces of electronic equipment that had to be small, rugged, and reliable, radar engineering also set the foundations for modern electronics, especially television. Radar signals could also be used for navigation, as a ship or airplane could measure its distance from several radar beacons to “triangulate” its position. A system for radar navigation, called LORAN (long-range navigation) was the precursor to today’s satellite-based GPS technology.PencillinWorld War II also saw advances in medical technology. Penicillin was not invented during the war, but it was first mass produced during the war, the key to making it available to millions of people (during World War II it was mostly used to treat the venereal diseases gonorrhea and?syphilis, which had been the scourge of armies for thousands of years).33718503810Penicillin is prepared in the lab. U.S. Army Medical Department, Office of Medical History.While penicillin itself is still used today, it was also the precursor to the antibiotics that we take today to keep simple infections from becoming life-threatening illnesses. Medicines against tropical diseases like malaria also became critical for the United States to fight in tropical climates like the South Pacific. Pesticides like DDT played a critical role in killing mosquitoes (although the environmental impacts of DDT would last a long time; a famous book about DDT, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962), would help found the modern environmental movement). The science and technology of blood transfusions were also perfected during World War II, as was aviation medicine, which allowed people (including us) to fly safely at high altitudes for long periods. Studies of night vision, supplemental oxygen, even crash helmets and safety belts emerged from aviation medicine.The FlamethrowerDuring World War II, all sides used flamethrowers, including the U.S. Marine Corps. During the “island hopping” campaigns of the Pacific Theater, many Marines believed flamethrowers made the difference between their lives and death.“We could not have taken the island without the flamethrower,” said Bill Henderson, a Marine Corps veteran who fought on Iwo Jima, in a Marine Corps oral history of the battle. “It saved lives because it did not require men to go into caves, which were all booby-trapped and promised certain death to all who entered.”The Marines’ M2 flamethrowers were heavy and cumbersome, making it difficult to run when wearing the device. The unit also made the Marine a high-value target—easy to see and easy to shoot.One Marine Corps flamethrower unit on Iwo Jima had a 92-percent casualty rate—leading a military statistician to estimate the average lifespan on the battlefield of a Marine flamethrower operator at four minutes.Later, the Marines adapted flamethrower units to the?Sherman tank, reducing the number of times that an individual operator had to expose himself to enemy fire on the battlefield.When soft-hearted Americans protested the use of flame weapons against the Japanese, Gen. George C. Marshall, then chief of staff of the Army, defended them. “The vehement protests I am receiving against our use of flamethrowers do not indicate an understanding of the meaning of our dead.”100012510795WWI Tanks vs WWII Tanks3642995177927000Tanks were used to shield their troops and help them reach the enemies trench. They would be sent in first deflecting as many bullets as possible and helping troops advance faster. The abilities of the two tanks (in WWI vs. WWII) are very different. The WWI tanks were very slow, with a top speed of 4mph and a shooting range of 22 miles. The WWI tanks had a very thick armor ranging from 6-12mm and damaging their enemies with 2x6 pounder guns. WWII tanks moved a lot faster because of their bigger engine. The WWII tanks’ top speed reached 24mph and had a 100 mile range. The armor of WWII tanks were made 65 mm thick. 0154305WWI vs. WWII AirCraftleft1745615003235960170180000Aircraft in wars were used to spy on enemy bases or movement as well as in battles, called “dogfights,” where they tried to take down as many enemy planes as possible. In WWI, planes were able to fly at a top speed of 106mph, with a gun range of 290 miles. It was the best invention of WWI, allowing there to be combat in the sky as well as spying on enemy bases. The new planes in WWII were able to fly at an astonishing 430mph with a 2000miles gun range. The new planes also had radios allowing the flying squad to communicate with each other during dogfights and missions. right445102New Material Used at Home and at WarNew materials emerged to fill voids created by the rationing off of everyday materials; many had been invented just before the war but found wide use during World War II: plastic wrap (trademarked as Saran wrap) became a substitute for aluminum foil for covering food (and was used for covering guns during shipping); cardboard milk and juice containers replaced glass bottles; acrylic sheets were molded into bomber noses and fighter-plane canopies; plywood emerged as a substitute for scarce metals, for everything from the hulls of PT boats to aircraft wings. The look and feel of 1950s America – a “modern” world of molded plywood furniture, fiberglass, plastics, and polyester – had its roots in the materials innovations of World War II.Machine Guns in WWI vs. WWIIMachine guns were used to take down the enemies that were trying to advance. Machine gun was known to be the best gun to have the most kills in WWI and trench warfare. They would mow down the enemy’s front line making it hard to advance. Even though machine guns were really famous for killing many soldiers, it had overheating problems. To solve this problem, soldiers used water jackets to support the machine gun from overheating. The machine gun also had problems of not being able to be mobile because it was heavy. The machine guns also had a smaller caliber compared to WWII machine gun, regarded as weak compared to the advanced. 3597564669760006477088392000There had been many changes to the machine gun in WWII. such as designing the weapons so it could more mobile, and fixing the overheating problem. They no longer had to use water jackets for over-heating. It also improved on the long distance shooting and accuracy for the machine guns. The Atomic BombTwo Atomic Bombs were dropped on Japan to end the Pacific war in 1945. In a pioneering effort, the United States mobilized a massive cadre of scientists, engineers, and industrial plants. Two cities were selected to house processes integral to the bomb’s development. Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was surrounded by 59,000 acres of farmland and wilderness. The workers here separated out uranium for the bomb. In Hanford, Washington, the city was chosen for its 500,000 acres of isolated land bordering the Columbia River. Here workers created the new element plutonium. Atomic weapons are so complicated, in terms of the physics, and so difficult to build, in terms of the technology, that two different types of weapons were built, to increase the chances of getting at least one of them right. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was a uranium-type bomb, and the one dropped on Nagasaki used plutonium.center13754000Blitzkrieg Bombing on LondonThe appearance of German bombers in the skies over London during the afternoon of September 7, 1940 heralded a tactical shift in Hitler's attempt to subdue England. During the previous two months, the Luftwaffe had targeted RAF airfields and radar stations for destruction in preparation for the German invasion of the island. With invasion plans put on hold and eventually scrapped, Hitler turned his attention to destroying London in an attempt to demoralize the population and force England to come to terms. At around 4:00 PM on that September day, 348 German bombers escorted by 617 fighters blasted London until 6:00 PM. Two hours later, guided by the fires set by the first assault, a second group of raiders commenced another attack that lasted until 4:30 the following morning.This was the beginning of the Blitz - a period of intense bombing of London and other cities that continued until the following May. For the next consecutive 57 days, London was bombed either during the day or night. Fires consumed many portions of the city. Residents sought shelter wherever they could find it - many fleeing to the Underground stations that sheltered as many as 177,000 people during the night. In the worst single incident, 450 were killed when a bomb destroyed a school being used as an air raid shelter. Londoners and the world were introduced to a new weapon of terror and destruction in the arsenal of twentieth century warfare. The Blitz ended on May 11, 1941 when Hitler called off the raids in order to move his bombers east in preparation for Germany's invasion of Russia.D-Day Invasion Date June 6, 1944 – The D in D-Day stands for “day” since the final invasion date was unknown and weather dependent. Allied Forces 156,000 Allied troops from The United States, The United Kingdom, Canada, Free France and Norway Invasion Area The Allied code names for the beaches along the 50-mile stretch of Normandy coast targeted for landing were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Omaha was the costliest beach in terms of Allied casualties. The Armada 5,000 ships and landing craft 50,000 vehicles 11,000 planes Commanders United States – Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley The United Kingdom – Bernard Law Montgomery, Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Arthur Tedder, Miles Dempsey, Bertram Ramsay Germany – Erwin Rommel, Gerd von Rundstedt, Friedrich Dollmann Casualties Numbers represent total killed, wounded, missing or captured United States – 6,603 (1,465 killed) United Kingdom – 2,700 Canada – 1,074 (359 killed) Germany – Estimated between 4,000 – 9,000 The Outcome By June 11, with the beachheads firmly secured, more than 326,000 Allied troops had crossed with more than 100,000 tons of military equipment. Paris was liberated on August 25. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945.left762000right287020 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download